Page 187 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

She let out a harsh laugh. “I have no idea.”

“Do you think it’s connected with Jordan’s death?”

A headache pounded across the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know.” She rubbed her forehead, letting out a humorless laugh. “I don’t know anything anymore. One minute Jordan was talking to me on the terrace, the next he walked out of the resort and got hit by a black sedan that sped off.”

Corbin blew out a breath. “Can you get a room at the resort?”

“Yeah, we’re not booked at full capacity.”

“Okay. Do that. I’ll be there first thing in the morning.”

“No!” she exploded. “You can’t! What about Delaney?” The silence on the other end of the line spoke volumes. “Delaney needs you there. You can’t desert her right now.” She clenched her jaw, eyes narrowing. If she called Corbin away and something happened to Delaney while he was gone, Addie would never forgive herself. “I didn’t call you so you’d come here. I called because I was hoping you might be able to use your connections to find out what’s going on.”

Long pause. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, call 911 right now. Then call me back so I’ll know you’re okay.”

“Will do.” She ended the call and did as Corbin instructed.

As she was calling 911, Addie glanced at the darkening sky. It occurred to her that she was alone in a remote area. Pops rented cabins to tourists who visited the Bear Claw Ski Resort and thenearby hot springs. He and Addie lived in one of the cabins. Just this morning, Addie had appreciated the coolness in the fall, Colorado air and how the leaves were starting to change colors, but now everything seemed ominous and threatening. Shivers snaked down her spine. If someone wanted to harm her, now would be the perfect time. The police wouldn’t be able to get here fast enough. While being on the phone with Corbin helped calm her, there was little he could do from San Diego.

Should she leave right now and go to the resort? No, she wanted to be here when the police came. That way, she could see if anything was missing. Her jaw hardened as anger took hold. She had to remain strong—see this thing through.

“911. What is your emergency?” a professional-sounding dispatcher asked.

“Someone broke into my home… Please hurry,” she added after she’d given her name and address.

Chapter Three

Afeeling of exhilaration swept through Maddox as the water came up over the sea kayak and splashed him in the face. “Woo hoo!” he yelled, loving the blast of cold wind that whipped through his hair. The kayak nose lifted in the air with the oncoming wave, then dropped a good ten feet down into the ocean with bone-jarring intensity as the wave rushed passed them. “Hold on,” he yelled to Felicity, who was sitting in the front.

Felicity shrieked and then cursed. “My hair,” she lamented.

“Don’t worry. You still look great.”

“Yeah, right,” she smirked.

It was true. Felicity was beautiful. Too bad he couldn’t be as complimentary about her attitude. From the time he picked her up this morning, she’d complained about everything. At the diner, the coffee was too weak, the toast stale. Maddox thought she was going to have an out-of-body experience when she saw the wet suit that the guy at the rental place gave her to put on. “You really want me to wear that grimy thing?” she scoffed, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“You don’t have to wear it,” Maddox responded with a casual shrug.

“Good,” Felicity sniffed.

“If you want to go into the freezing cold water with nothing more than a t-shirt and shorts, it’s your choice.”

He swore he could see steam coming out her ears as she snatched the wet suit from the employee and stomped into the dressing room to put it on. A minute or so later, she called out to him saying the wretched thing didn’t fit. As it turned out, she had it on backwards.

Maddox leaned forward, paddling with all his might to get them past the breaking waves. Getting the kayak into the water was the hardest part. Once they got past the break, it would be easier to navigate. Splatters of rain hit his face. He looked up at the leaden sky. The water was choppy, the wind picking up. In retrospect, it probably wasn’t the best day to come out here. Felicity claimed to love kayaking, but watching her reaction to a few waves and rain, he wondered if she’d only said that to impress him.

Felicity was slapping the water with her oar. An incredulous laugh gurgled in Maddox’s throat. “What’re you doing?”

“Rowing. What does it look like?” she grumbled.

“Certainly not rowing,” he responded under his breath. “Dip your oar down deeper into the water. Use smooth strokes. Put some muscle into it.”

He used his oar as a rudder to turn them in the direction of the La Jolla Sea Caves. The seven caves all had their own names and unique features. Maddox never grew tired of exploring them. “Paddle on the right side now,” he instructed. “Your other right,” he said dryly when she kept rowing on the left. Finally, she switched.

When they got turned in the right direction, Maddox placed his oar in his lap, letting the motion of the current push them forward. “Okay, you can relax a bit,” he said when he realized Felicity was still paddling.

She stopped and looked back at him. He did a double-take. She had streaks of mascara running down her face, and her hair looked like blonde glue, matted to her head. Unfortunately, she caught the startled look on his face before he had time to recover.

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